Threshing Beans

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  Threshing Beans

Agricultural labor is mostly done by hand in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. Tractors are becoming more noticeable, but still rare. It is not uncommon to see large fields being hoed by 8-10 men, using primitive-looking hoes with large heads and roughly hewn handles.

Here beans are being threshed by hand. Dried bean plants are piled up on a tarp and then beaten with long poles to remove the bean from the stalk. The large pieces of plant material are shaken and removed from the tarp, allowing the beans to fall out. The smaller pieces of plant material are then winnowed, letting the wind blow away the chaf, leaving the beans. Slow and tedious, but effective.

Thought for the Day: Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice and need.
Voltaire